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Welcome to the Panama research page! We are dedicated to helping you find your Panamanian ancestors. Through the Panama page you can learn how to find, use, and analyze Panamanian records of genealogical value. The content is targeted to beginners, intermediate, and expert researchers. Please visit the help page to learn more about using the site. The Panama Page is a work in progress, your contributions and feedback are essential!

Getting started with Panama research

Panama is politically divided into 9 provinces and 5 "comarcas," or indigenous territories. Until 1999, the United States controlled the Panama Canal Zone, an unincorporated 10-mile wide territory. Understanding political divisions is essential to doing family history, as these divisions determine where records are recorded and archived. To learn more about Panama's political division, Click here.

Did you know?

The Isthmus of Panama is the narrowest strip of land in the American continent. It is bordered north-west by Costa Rica, south-east by Colombia, south by the Pacific Ocean, and north by the Caribbean Sea.

Some consider Panama a transcontinental nation, with the Panama Canal bisecting North and South America.

The first permanent European settlement in the mainland of the Americas, Santa Maria la Antigua del Darien, was founded in Panama by Vasco Nunez de Balboa in 1510.

The Pacific Ocean was discovered by Balboa off the coast of Panama on September 25, 1513.